1. The expectations put on them are so high that there is no way they can succeed.

Or

2. They are completely ignored. Because they are already much father ahead than their peers.

Neither of these are healthy solutions for a gifted child.

All children deserve a right to grow and learn from all of their experiences in appropriate and positive ways.

If anyone thinks for a moment that they don’t, they are robbing the future of a child. A deserving child. A hardworking child. A child who has been inspired by example.

When your child is perceived as a ‘rock star’ you are grateful for the recognition, but you still want genuine feedback that they can use to grow. You don’t want them to be ignored. Everyone can learn and grow, not matter how good they are at something or how knowledgeable they are.

However, at the same time you are grateful the feedback is not so harsh that they could not achieve what is expected of them even if they tried.

There’s always a happy medium and with a gifted child, it’s hard for parents to understand let alone anyone else.

But it can be done. I’ve seen it and it creates magic. It creates goals to be reached and is positive. And the people who can do that should be the ones that are leading and teaching. Teaching others how to make precieved ‘rock stars’ into human beings that crave to learn and grow for eternity. Just with the correct feedback. And others who lead by example, by wanting to do good and finding a way to do it in a way that is inspiring.

For my daughter, that person was a specific judge in her speech and debate tournament last year. The feedback provided was invaluable and greatly appreciated. It was what opened the doors for her to reach for the stars and to grow. Or a stranger that wants to show gratitude and does it in an amazing way that leaves an imprint on my daughter to ‘pay it forward’ for the rest of her life.

This kind of knowledge or example doesn’t come easily. It should be cherished.

It’s the same concept as teaching a child the difference between right from wrong or being a good citizen and doing the right thing. Always.

If something comes easily to a child, they still have the right to grow and learn, as much as the child to who things do not come easily.

Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to succeed on their own terms and to have the opportunity to be a better person. Regardless of when, why or how. And example is the best way to guide and show this generation how to do that and to make a difference. For a lifetime.

I am forever grateful for those who inspire and encourage children for the sake of the greater good.